“LET’S DO IT, LET’S FALL IN LOVE” (1928)

Although Cole Porter wrote over 800 songs, “Let’s Do It, Let’s Fall in Love” holds a special distinction: it was his first major hit. Porter was nearly 40 years old and had written over 200 songs, but was relatively unknown when his musical comedy Paris debuted in New York City in October of 1928. The musical featured “Let’s Do It, Let’s Fall in Love”, and that, along with the songs from the musical Fifty Million Frenchmen in 1929, moved him to the front ranks of songwriters on Broadway and Tin Pan Alley. However, in the off-Broadway tryouts for Paris, its most famous song was not one of the musical numbers in the show. Right before the New York opening, “Let’s Do It, Let’s Fall in Love” replaced another Porter song, “Let’s Misbehave”, which later became a hit in its own right.

This was the first of Porter’s famous “list songs”. A list song usually develops by working through a list, often with increasingly absurd or outrageous entries, and has been used by many composers. Other well-known examples of list songs include “You’re the Top”, also by Porter, “My Favorite Things” by Rodgers and Hammerstein, “The Waters of March” by Antonio Carlos Jobim, “50 Ways to Leave your Lover” by Paul Simon, and the traditional carol “The Twelve Days of Christmas”.

The lyrics to “Let’s Do It, Let’s Fall in Love” feature five list-based refrains after the opening verse; the first refrain refers to people, the second to birds, the third to insects and centipedes, the fourth to marine life and the fifth to mammals. The song’s lyrics typified the sophistication, cynicism, increased sexual freedom and less inhibited behavior that characterized the 1920s. Full of double-entendres and suggestive comparisons, they were intended to amuse and provoke, but not to offend. When Porter realized that the original lyrics for the beginning of the first refrain were offensive, he changed them. The original version began with “And that’s why Chinks do it, Japs do it, Up in Lapland, little Lapps do it” and was revised to “And that's why Birds do it, Bees do it, Even educated fleas do it”.

“Let’s Do It, Let’s Fall in Love”, with its witty and slightly risqué lyrics, became popular quickly and was recorded by a dozen different bands and singers in 1928-1929. The original recording by Irving Aaronson and his Commanders climbed to 5th place on the pop charts in January of 1929. Since then it has been covered many times, but usually in an excerpted version because of its length. However, it is worth taking the time to read all the refrains because Cole Porter’s poetic genius with rhyme and meter makes them too good to miss.

If you would like to learn more about Cole Porter and his relationship to the Worcester area, please visit the Inquiry Archives on our website: http://www.wicn.org/audio/inquiry-cole-porter-attended-worcester-academy.

“Let’s Do It, Let’s Fall in Love” by Cole Porter

Verse
When the little bluebird,
Who has never said a word,
Starts to sing "Spring, spring,"
When the little bluebell,
In the bottom of the dell,
Starts to ring "Ding, ding,"
When the little blue clerk,
In the middle of his work,
Starts a tune to the moon up above,
It is nature, that's all,
Simply telling us to fall
In love.

Refrain #1
And that's why Birds do it, Bees do it,
Even educated fleas do it,
Let's do it, let's fall in love.
In Spain, the best upper sets do it,
Lithuanians and Letts do it,
Let's do it, let's fall in love.
The Dutch in old Amsterdam do it,
Not to mention the Finns,
Folks in Siam do it,
Think of Siamese twins.
Some Argentines, without means, do it,
People say, in Boston, even beans do it,
Let's do it, let's fall in love.

Refrain #2
The nightingales, in the dark, do it,
Larks, k-razy for a lark, do it,
Let's do it, let's fall in love.
Canaries, caged in the house, do it,
When they're out of season, grouse do it,
Let's do it, let's fall in love.
The most sedate barnyard fowls do it,
When a chanticleer cries,
High-browed old owls do it,
They're supposed to be wise,
Penguins in flocks, on the rocks, do it,
Even little cuckoos, in their clocks do it,
Let's do it, let's fall in love.

Refrain #3
Romantic sponges, they say, do it,
Oysters, down in Oyster Bay, do it,
Let's do it, let's fall in love.
Cold Cape Cod clams, 'gainst their
wish, do it,
Even lazy jellyfish do it,
Let's do it, let's fall in love.
Electric eels, I might add, do it,
Though it shocks 'em, I know.
Why ask if shad do it?
Waiter, bring me shad roe.
In shallow shoals, English soles do it.
Goldfish, in the privacy of bowls, do it.
Let's do it, let's fall in love.

Refrain #4
The dragonflies, in the reeds, do it,
Sentimental centipedes do it,
Let's do it, let's fall in love.
Mosquitoes, heaven forbid, do it,
So does ev'ry katydid do it,
Let's do it, let's fall in love.
The most refined lady bugs do it,
When a gentleman calls,
Moths in your rugs, do it,
What's the use of moth balls?
Locusts in trees do it, bees do it,
Even overeducated fleas do it,
Let's do it, let's fall in love.

Refrain #5
The chimpanzees, in the zoos, do it,
Some courageous kangaroos
do it,
Let's do it, let's fall in love.
I'm sure giraffes, on the sly, do it,
Heavy hippopotami do it,
Let's do it, let's fall in love.
Old sloths who hang down from
twigs do it,
Though the effort is great,
Sweet guinea pigs do it,
Buy a couple and wait.
The world admits bears in pits do it,
Even Pekineses in the Ritz, do it,
Let's do it, let's fall in love.